Friday, March 3, 2017

Trump wants to cut Great Lakes funding by 97 percent and people are not happy

It comes to no surprise that that the White House is going to cut funding from the Environmental Protection Agency since Scott Pruitt was appointed the Administrator of the department, a person who doesn't really seem to care about global warming and climate change.

One of those cuts from the EPA is coming down on the Great Lakes, according to a budget document obtained by the National Association of Clean Air Agencies.

The cuts will basically eliminate the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative's annual funding. The GLRI receives $300 million, but the cuts will slash it to $10 million.

The GLRI does important work like restoring wildlife habitats, combating invasive species, and cleaning up watersheds that become polluted.

The cuts hit hard for many Michiganders as they feel that the Great Lakes are iconic to the Michigan way of life. Many people took to social media to vent their frustrations.

Senator Debbie Stabenow called the GLRI cut "outrageous" and went on to say "our Great Lakes are part of our DNA and an important driver of our economy in Michigan and I call on President Trump to reverse course on these harmful decisions."